Monday, May 11, 2015

Did you have a wonderful weekend? I sure did. We are finally experiencing some beautiful weather, so we spent both days outside playing in the sprinkler. So much fun.

Today I am excited to finally share with you something that I've been enjoying for a few years now. I hope you'll like it as much as we do.

I am constantly being told that our boys are surprisingly good at cooking and food preparation overall. As a family, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and the boys are always right in the middle of the action. I love how this effects our family. The boys try new foods, learn how to prepare healthy food, and are tremendous bakers. We also find it helps their math skills too. And it means that when they want lunch, both boys are perfectly comfortable making their own sandwiches. A win for everyone.

But a big part of what makes getting our kids involved in the kitchen is our Learning Tower, by Little Partners. Basically, the Learning Tower helps our boys safely stand at counter height so they can cook with us.

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It's easy for the boys to climb into, and it fits both of them comfortably. It is completely sturdy, so Zach and I don't have to worry about them tipping over the way we would with a stool or a chair.

It does have some cons. It is big. Like really big. It doesn't fold up, so you're pretty much stuck with it. And it is not very easy to move. But in our opinion, it is still totally worth it, since it is such a big part of encouraging our boys to get involved in the kitchen. It is well-made and smartly designed.

If you're interested in getting your little ones involved in the kitchen, check it out!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Even though we've been home from our vacation for a week now, I still can't get enough of these sweet faces. Now that spring has sprung, I feel like I am getting to see them in a completely new environment, where their imaginations take them outside for hours, and they come home rosy and sweaty and flushed and dirty... exactly as happy little boys should be. Needless to say, it's been a good week of mothering my boys.

Speaking of mothering, how is your Mother's Day shopping going? Any really special gifts out there?This week I'll be sharing a few of my favorite ideas for Mother's Day.

And I'll start off by saying that it boggles my mind that in the five-ish years I've been blogging, I haven't once yet talked about Storypeople by Bryan Andreas. Storypeople is yet another art company my sister, Lissa, introduced me to (way back in high school!), and it has been a stand-by ever since. Storypeople prints were the gift I gave to my bridesmaids as a thank you when I got married, with a perfectly chosen story for each woman. I've sent Storypeople greeting cards. And among the most beautiful gifts I've ever received from Zach is this Storypeople sculpture, which hangs in our bedroom and makes me weepy every time I read it, because truly, Zach loves me so well.

I even have a Storypeople print hanging in the boys' room, one that was gifted to Tate when he was a baby:

So here's the thing about the Storypeople stories. They aren't really stories, per se. They are more like short, beautiful sentiments that are evocative enough to tell an entire story. And they are beautiful.

There are so many perfect stories for mothers. Here are a few I might choose for my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, or other important women in my life:

I don't know who we'll become in the days ahead. I only know the quiet voice in my heart that says we'll become it together.

I will always remember the way you'd laugh & clap your hands watching us play & then later, before bed, you'd gather in your arms & whisper, Have you ever seen a world so perfect?

because you remind me of everything there is in this world to love

There is no one who comes here that does not know this is a true map of the world, with you there in the center, making home for us all.

Don't you think these are all such beautiful sentiments? And one of the great things about the Storypeople website is that they make it so easy to find the perfect story- you can search by keyword, by celebration, by event or theme... all helping ensure you find the perfect gift that reflects your own story, and those of the people you love.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Well, I've done it so you don't have to. I spent an entire week in Jamaica snorkeling, swimming, and being lazy around the pool, and I can assure you that I endured this (really, suffering, I assure you) and can report back that the Seafolly Boyleg Maillot bathing suit really is the perfect bathing suit for moms whose bodies haven't quite bounced back from baby (or baby #2, as is my case).

Did you read Drew Barrymore's recent quote about post-baby bodies. She said, "You feel like a kangaroo with a giant pouch; everything's saggy and weird." Ha! As if I couldn't love her anymore, she then says something equal parts hilarious and true.

In particular, I've found that trying to lose weight and get in shape has been significantly more difficult the second time around. Not only does the weight seem harder to lose (and the pouch a little, well, flabbier), but I also feel like I have less time, less money, and significantly less inclination for working out. Combined with the terrible winter that never ended, and I have actually gained weight over the last 6 months. Sigh.

So the idea of spending a week in a bathing suit, while appealing, did bring about some nerves. What would I possibly wear?

Cue the Seafolly. This bathing suit was made for me and my less-than-perfect body. There are so many reasons why I love it.

It has the perfect boycut bottom. Not so long as to be matronly or too much like shorts, but enough to give you a little bit of butt coverage. (Also, not to overshare, but if you don't do an impeccable job of personal grooming in all your nether regions every day of your vacation, this design element was incredibly forgiving. Good news all around.)

It it made of super-soft and very high-quality fabric. It held me in and smoothed me out in all the right places, but wasn't overly tight or constricting. I never felt like it was sucking itself to my body, but always felt like it was molding my body (in a good way).

The ruching and seaming made the whole suit totally flattering.

The cups of the bra were actually real cups, not just inserts. I loved this design element because it felt like I was simultaneously lifted and shaped and yet still tucked in.

There was a slight retro-quality to the whole design, with the halter tie and the boyleg. This made me feel curvy and sexy instead of matronly, a hard job when you're wearing a one-piece in Jamaica.

The lining was black. I think this bears mentioning because I hate it when I'm wearing a dark bathing suit and it has a light lining so anytime a little bit of lining shows, it is totally obvious. The black lining prevented that from happening.

The price tag is a little high (just under $150) but I genuinely felt like it was totally worth it. And it comes in a variety of fun prints too.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Zach and I are in Jamaica. Have you been following along? It's been a wonderful two days so far, made even more wonderful knowing that the boys are in the best possible hands- my mom flew in from California to watch them and spoil them by taking them to the park every day and letting them pack picnics and walking them to the ice-cream store. Needless to say, they are having a great time.

So are Zach and I! We got massages yesterday and are drinking cucumber water and eating papaya and enjoying cocktails that are fresh and delicious. We have been getting 10+ hours of sleep a night (!!!!) and swimming in the most crystal-clear blue water you've ever seen and putting our feet in warm sand... all around, its been lovely. Especially after the winter we've had.

But here's the thing. Deciding on this trip was really, really hard. Because we don't go on "big" vacations like this often (we really only go every 5 years, as a part of our anniversary celebration), there was a lot of pressure to choose the "perfect" vacation. It tooks us months (and months and months and months!) before we finally settled on Jamaica, because in many ways, this vacation does not feel like a vacation we would typically take.

We're at a beautiful resort, but its a resort. Typically, when we travel, we like to stay in boutique hotels and charming bed-and-breakfasts.

We're in a different country, but in many ways, not- our plan is to stay mostly on the resort property, versus exploring the nooks and crannies and genuinely local culture of the place we're visiting.

We're eating good food and drinking delicious drinks- but I had a burger for lunch yesterday, surely not a Jamaican specialty. And while the food is delicious, it is not central to our trip, which is typically the case for us.

So Zach and I had to really think about what we wanted when we booked our trip. Did we want to go back to Spain, enjoying all it had to offer with amazing tapas and beautiful museums? Italy? Greece? All of these were on the table. But ultimately, we looked at each other and decided that what we most wanted was to relax. And to be warm. And that led us in a different direction. That led us to a resort in Jamaica where relaxation and warm weather are at the very center of our vacation.

We spent some time talking about how this is the perfect trip for this point in our marriage. How, when we look back, we'll remember that we had just survived the longest winter. That between the two boys, neither of us had seen 10 hours of sleep a night in years. How lazily sitting around on our balcony, listening to the ocean and getting to talk, gave us opportunities to connect.

All of which made us realize that like everything else in life, maybe vacations too should reflect the season of life we're in. I suspect that 5 years from now, when we plan our big trip for our 15th anniversary, we probably won't be celebrating it at a resort in Jamaica. But for right now, for this season of our life, this was the perfect trip, the perfect way to celebrate 10 years and settle in for another 40 or 50 more. With our toes in the sand.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

This week has been so, so great. Not only is my mom here, but the weather has finally turned, and we've had two (two!) days above 70 degrees. The boys have been playing outside... the daffodils are in bloom... and life just feels easier and better and happier and brighter. Coming home on a sunny day to a glass of chilled white wine and sitting on the stoop watching your little ones play in the front yard is quite possibly the best way to spend an evening. It's been very happy-making.

Add to this that Zach and I leave for Jamaica tomorrow (what? I haven't told you we're taking a trip to Jamaica?), and the anticipation of having uninterrupted alone time, long stretches of beach, rum-based cocktails and big feathery beds, all with endless opportunities to have long conversations, and I am one happy camper.

As the weather has turned, it became quite obvious that my boys were in need of some new shoes. But the truth is this: My boys have wide feet. Wide enough that it can be very, very challenging to find shoes to fit them. Which is why I am always on the lookout for good-looking shoes that fit.

Since Tate was little, I've been a huge fan of See Kai Run. I find their shoes to be adorably boyish with great-looking details, bright colors, and best of all- they are wide!

This weekend, we bought Ames the most adorable pair of bright red See Kai Run sneakers.

I love the striped lining and the gray accents, the wide and rounded rubber toe. I normally don't love the look of velcro shoes, but I think these are designed so well. Don't they look cute on Ames? His little feet and chubby ankles are just too much, aren't they?

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Growing up, every year I made the Christmas cookies with my Grandma and Papa. Grandma and I would make the pecan-based Italian wedding cookies, rolling them in confectioner's sugar twice, once hot right out of the oven, and again when cooled for a perfect, creamy, sweet finish. We'd make the spicy ginger cookies we called "Leah's cookies", although I never knew (and still don't know) exactly who Leah was. We made classic peanut butter blossoms, heating them up in the microwave for just a few seconds the next day to make the kiss melty all over again. Finally, after Grandma and I were finished, Papa and I would make a double-batch of the Italian biscotti, anise-flavored, twice-baked, and draped in a sweet anise-flavored glaze.

By the end of our baking day, our feet would ache, but we would have stocked all my Grandma's cookie tins to the very brim. It is a wonderful memory.

I've been thinking about these kinds of memories a lot lately, especially now that my Grandma has gotten older and we've all begun worrying more about her health. Which is why every time I see my antique nut grinder in my cupboard, the same one Grandma and I used over and over on our Christmas cookie baking days, I smile. Because this little nut grinder represents so many memories.

So you can imagine how much I love Hannah Bergen's Heirloom Kit. I think the idea of the kit is so beautiful. As the company puts it, the kit "holds everything you will need to record and save your family heirloom stories." This includes gorgeous heirloom tags that you can write the memories of your heirloom items on, Italian cotton ribbon to tie your tag to your most important heirlooms, and other items to inspire you to take your precious items and add your memories and stories.

I love the idea of asking Grandma to write (in her beautiful cursive handwriting!) a story of our baking together and attaching it to my nut grinder.

I can also imagine doing this with Zach's grandfather's pocketwatch, the cufflinks Zach wore at our wedding, and other important and meaningful items in our family. Part of the gift of this heirloom kit is, I think, in simply reminding us that items do have importance and meaning, and it is worthwhile to memorialize the stories that go along with them.

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About Me

I am the mother of two boys. Both my husband and I were born and raised on the West Coast. Three years ago, we moved to Western Massachusetts. I like to share our life and find special things to help enhance yours.